The federal government recently approved the Nevada Department of Agriculture’s plan to regulate the Silver State’s hemp industry. Under federal law, states must submit programs to the U.S. Department of Agriculture describing how state regulations and processes will meet federal requirements ensuring hemp, not marijuana, makes it to customers, according to a June 23 press release from the state. The USDA approved Nevada’s plan on May 28. To be considered hemp, the plant must have less than three-tenths of a percent of THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana. “We are committed to the preservation and promotion of the hemp industry in Nevada,” NDA Plant Industry Division Administrator Ashley Jeppson said in a statement. “The approval of our Nevada Hemp Plan will allow for support to be provided on a state level and for resources to be allocated for this industry.” The plan, which includes a system for registering growers, crop sampling and chemical analysis, was created after the Agriculture Department held three public workshops and a hearing to receive input from growers. According to previous reports, Nevada's hemp industry started with just 26 growers during the first-ever growing season of 2016-17 — as of the 2019-20 season, there were 207 certified growers, 53 handlers and 37 seed producers, equating to a roughly 600 percent increase.
Go to agri.nv.gov/hemp to learn more about the state’s hemp industry.
